Prior art lawn mower hitches have been used originally for connecting reel-type lawn mowers to a tractor or the like for permitting the cutting of a wide swath of grass in a single traversal of the lawn.
It has also now been proposed to use a hitch apparatus for connecting rotary-type lawn mowers to either a riding lawn mower or a tractor and to use such lawn mowers connected to each other in a following fashion so as to cut a wide swath. In such proposed hitches of which I am aware, it has always been assumed that the towing element must be connected to the center of the front of each of the lawn mowers substantially along the longitudinal axis of the lawn mowers. Apparently, this has been done since it is assumed that any other location would not allow the following lawn mowers to track properly when the mowing operation is underway.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide hitch apparatus for connecting rotary-type lawn mowers to a towing vehicle wherein the lawn mowers following the lead mower are attached by a simple linkage which is secured between points adjacent the interior of one of the rear wheels of the lead mower and the interior of one of the front wheels of the following mower.
A further object of the invention is to connect a lead lawn mower in a hitch assembly of a plurality of lawn mowers to a towing vehicle by means of a substantially solid bar with the bar being pivotal to the towing vehicle at a point sub-stantially above the ground relative to the pivotal point of attachment to the lead lawn mower. This raises the front of the lawn mower to reduce the friction on the front wheels while still maintaining contact with the ground.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a simplified gang assembly of a plurality of lawn mowers which track evenly over varied terrains such as hills and gullies and still maintain their cutting contact with the ground.